Posted 22 December 2010

PlayStation Official Magazine UK Issue 53

This month I am all about LittleBigPlanet 2. I was lucky enough to get to write the world exclusive review and I can tell you now, it’s brilliant. How brilliant is something you’ll have to find out about in the mag. That said making this little target shooting game has been one of my gaming highlights of the year. Anyway, on to the issue!

The big news this month (aside from Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception) is our 2010 Game Of The Year feature. Or GOTY to its friends. These are the ones you voted for. We count down the top ten in detail, talk about our choices and hand out some ‘alternative’ awards. Including Biggest Disappointment and – fanfare – Biggest Install! There’s also a complete top 40 of all the games voted for.

Probably the best thing you’ll read this month is news ed Rachel’s rapping adventure. After a bit of brash boasting about her Def Jam Rapstar skills we called her bluff and bundled her off to learn real wordplay with British rapper XO Man. He’s seven-foot and, according to Flavour magazine, is the “UK’s answer to Andre 3000”. Rachel’s five foot four in heels and has a fluffy animal calendar on her desk. It’s like the odd couple with beats.

As a counter to our best of 2011 feature we also have a 2011 preview special. All the big games of next year from Batman to LA Noire and everything in-between with interviews, new screens and hands on.

And then there’s the rest. In The Mood For… Beards is a whiskery treat this month as we celebrate the hairier side of PlayStation. We also have previews of Rage and Dungeon Siege III. We look at Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi’s new robot blasting shooter. There are new shots of Red Faction: Armageddon; a look at the worst games on PS3 and a timeline covering Gran Turismo 5‘s long, but ultimately worth it, journey from 2005 to now.

We’ve also launched a new Facebook page to replace our old group. Check it out here, where we’ll feed you all the latest info, pics and videos as we get them. Plus we’ll answer questions and generally hang out. See you there.

That’s all on sale now for £5.99 with a playable demo disk. Or you can save up 50% if you subscribe.

And if you want to tell us anything, call us names or say want you want in the mag, then drop us a line on Twitter @OPM_UK, email OPM@Futurenet.com or get involved with our Facebook page.

can you please still consider making it cheaper by ditching the old and outdated demo discs . granted there are people that dont plug their playstation’s into the net, but in reality how many people of them are there and how many buy OPM to use the disc . i throw the thing away whenever i buy it and that not very often as it needs to have something i really want to know about to shell out £6. at least back in the day it used to be 4.99..(which is still quite alot)

Hey Leon! I freakin love the mag! I get it every month without fail. I just noticed a possible typo in the article. Above the Dead Space 2 picture, should it read “best of 2010” rather than “best of 2011”? I could be wrong, I know you guys have incredible foresight ;)

#3 – “Was a good mag but i unsubbed a while ago, the news was months old and a lot of the writers didn’t really seem to know what they were going on about much.”

Agree, and the same applies to Farceplay. Yesterday’s news today. Why pay a pound for something you can garner off various gaming fanzines, for free AND from people that know what they are talking about.

Hey SpiderMike and BiosNova! I dont want to start an argument here, just giving my two cents…

I gotta disagree with you guys! I think the writing quality in this mag exceeds that in other mags by a long, long way. It is difficult to write in an informative, professional manner while staying humourous and light, yet they always seem to manage it. I think that the idea they dont know what they are talking about is ludicrous! This mag seems to be one of the most respected within video game circles, often found quoted on equally respected websites and the like. I dont know if such websites would pay heed to this mag if they didn’t know what they were talking about. The argument regarding late news, while understandable, is a little harsh. There are publishing dates set. Neither the mag nor FirstPlay can be released any earlier or later than these dates. Therefore breaking news simply can’t be delivered as soon as it happens. It can’t be avoided. However, these services arent supposed to...

Hey SpiderMike and BiosNova! I dont want to start an argument here, just giving my two cents…

I gotta disagree with you guys! I think the writing quality in this mag exceeds that in other mags by a long, long way. It is difficult to write in an informative, professional manner while staying humourous and light, yet they always seem to manage it. I think that the idea they dont know what they are talking about is ludicrous! This mag seems to be one of the most respected within video game circles, often found quoted on equally respected websites and the like. I dont know if such websites would pay heed to this mag if they didn’t know what they were talking about. The argument regarding late news, while understandable, is a little harsh. There are publishing dates set. Neither the mag nor FirstPlay can be released any earlier or later than these dates. Therefore breaking news simply can’t be delivered as soon as it happens. It can’t be avoided. However, these services arent supposed to function like a website, providing news as it happens. They are more intended to collate all the newsworthy information from the last few weeks and present them in a professional, entertaining, and unique manner.

I can also vouch for Team OPM personally. I won a competition they held on twitter recently, and as I live in Ireland, I expected them to be unable to ship the prize. However, they incurred the cost and effort and sent me the prize, along with a small personal note inside. These are good guys.

I don’t think using words like “Farceplay” does anyone any favours. If you don’t like something, thats fine, but there is no reason to insult the work and effort of other people. This is there livelihood, and something I am quite jealous of! And besides, the word farce doesn’t even make sense in that context.

As I said, I dont want an argument. I think a counterpoint is always valid

“I don’t think using words like “Farceplay” does anyone any favours. If you don’t like something, thats fine, but there is no reason to insult the work and effort of other people. This is there livelihood”

To that I shall simply say that if they hinge their livelihood on 99p a week per episode and a dwindling subscription then most of them would be unemployed by now. Future pays their wage regardless if anyone insults their work.

FYI, Farceplay is word play, and I think it shows great bravery to say MY term lacks contexts when the term Firstplay is even more irrelevant and non-contextual. Sounds like the title of a book about manual relief of one’s self.

I agree on one point. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it’s contrived and ill thought-out.